Victim Describes Assault Suspect Sought In Rape And Carjacking

May 10, 1999

WICKER PARK — Grand Central police released a sketch Sunday of a man who they believe sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman after forcing himself into her car in the Wicker Park neighborhood, authorities said.

The woman told police the suspect put a knife to her throat as she got into her car in the 1400 block of North Wicker Park Avenue about 3 a.m. Saturday, said Grand Central Sgt. Mary Clark. He held the woman hostage for about four hours while he bought drugs and forced her to perform sex acts on him, Clark said.

The suspect is described as a 5-foot-11-inch black man, about 40 years old and weighing about 250 pounds, authorities said. The victim told police the suspect was unshaven, had a medium brown complexion with freckles and wore his hair in long dreadlocks, authorities said.

After pushing the victim into the passenger seat of her Honda at knife-point, the victim told police she was forced to take money from an automated teller machine so the suspect could buy crack cocaine, authorities said.

He twice drove to Chicago and Kedzie Avenues, where he had a prostitute buy drugs for him, and then drove to an alley in the 700 block of West Grand Avenue and forced the victim to perform sex acts on him, Clark said.

Ultimately the man drove to Taylor Street and Ogden Avenue, where he fled on foot, police said. The woman, a north suburban resident, called police, who released a composite sketch of the man on Sunday, authorities said.